Breaking News from GW: New 40k On The Way & FAQ!

Over the last few months, it’s been pretty clear that something has been coming – we’ve seen the Baal System threatened by the Tyranids, war erupting across the Damocles Gulf, a Daemon Primarch return in the Fenris System and most recently, the events of the Gathering Storm, in which worlds fell, gods were born and a Primarch rose from his 10,000 year slumber.

The new Warhammer 40,000 will see the continuation of these epic events – this is the universe you know and love, but the story of the galaxy is advancing. Be prepared for some major and exciting developments in the story of the Dark Millennium.

We’ve taken this chance to make some major improvements to the game, and we really think this is going to be the best edition yet. We’ve worked with the community to forge these new rules – so if you’ve sent in suggestions or gotten involved in the FAQ process on our Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page over the past year, then you have helped shape this new edition – so thanks to all of you for your input!

This is the game you know, but improved, faster, bloodier and better. The rules team have gone to great lengths to make sure that every unit, weapon, vehicle and character has its role – everything will be useful, and every miniature will have a place in your army.

We’re not stopping there, though – we’ll be bringing you more news every day here on the Warhammer Community site.

But wait, there’s more.

To celebrate the upcoming new edition, and to introduce any of you who may be new to Warhammer 40,000, we’ve created an all new website. Go here to explore this grim dark setting and discover the factions that battle for supremacy in the far future (plus a few hints at what may be to come…).

To many of you, this will be an awesome surprise. To others, an exciting confirmation of what you already suspected. For all of you, we’re sure it heralds questions aplenty.

Here then is an FAQ* that answers a few of them. For more news and information over the coming days and weeks, make sure you check out warhammer-community.com where we’ll be running daily articles on all things Warhammer 40,000. There’ll be news, there’ll be rules previews, there might even be some pictures of new models…

Is my army still valid?Yes, it certainly is! You’ll still be able to use your army in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. All current armies will be supported with new rules.

Can I still use all my models?Yes. Every Warhammer 40,000 miniature we sell today will be usable in the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. What’s more, they’ll be supported with new rules, which will be available from the get go in handy, low-cost books.

Even Forge World models?Yes, even all of your Warhammer 40,000 Forge World models**.

Wait, did you guys blow up the universe?Nope. This is very much still the Warhammer 40,000 setting you know and love. Now, that’s not to say we won’t see the story advance – there’s some pretty epic stuff ahead! You can certainly expect to see the story arcs that began in the recent Gathering Storm campaign books continue to unfold with plenty of exciting developments to look forward to…

How can I get the rules?We’re going to make it easier than ever to get your hands on the rules and start playing. The core rules for the game will be free, and you’ll have several options on how you get your hands on the full rulebook. Watch this space for more.

Have you dumbed down 40K?Not at all. We’ve made it easier for new people to enter and get to grips with the basics. At the same time, we’ve made sure you can add as much depth and complexity as you like – there’s some fantastic new gameplay elements coming. What we’ve done is reexamine every aspect of the game, and made plenty of improvements, many based on the gaming community’s feedback and suggestions. If you play today, this game is recognisably still Warhammer 40,000.

What happens to my codexes?The rules in our current range of Warhammer 40,000 codexes aren’t compatible with the new edition of Warhammer 40,000. These books will be going off sale very soon. If you do want to pick any up, now’s the time – as all of the great hobby content and background information will be as valid as ever.

What’s in the new starter box?A new starter box? That’d be exciting! I guess we’d fill it with some awesome new miniatures… (come on, we can’t spoil all the surprises for you!)

Are you getting rid of points?Not at all. There will be a full points system, for use in matched play – one of three ways to play covered in the rulebook.

What do you mean “3 ways to play”?We realise that people like to play Warhammer 40,000 in different ways. 3 broad systems are covered in the new edition: 1) Open play is the most flexible, and easiest to get started with, allowing you to use any miniatures you like. 2) Narrative play is where you can refight the iconic battles of the 41st Millennium, or create your own campaigns and sagas. 3) Matched play is designed for more balanced and competitive games, ideal for gaming clubs, leagues and tournaments. However you want to enjoy playing Warhammer 40,000, there will be rules for that.

Why should I not just stick with current Warhammer 40,000?This is the version of Warhammer 40,000 you’ve been asking for. We’ve listened to your feedback, and we really believe that this is the best Warhammer 40,000 has ever been.

Will the rules be updated annually (ala, the General’s Handbook)?What a great idea! We’ve had such a fantastic response to our community-led approach with the Warhammer Age of Sigmar rules updates that we’re committed to doing the same for Warhammer 40,000. You’ll be able to submit your questions and queries on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page and we’ll make sure we continue to evolve the game as feedback rolls in.

I haven’t played 40K in a while…Welcome back! The new Warhammer 40,000 is easier to learn and quicker to play, but still has all the tactical, strategic and narrative depth you could want from a game set in the incredibly rich setting of the 41st Millennium. It’s going to be easier than ever to get started, and more fun than ever to master.

Why should I trust you?Come on! This is New Games Workshop™

Seriously though, everything we’re talking about now is just an extension of all the community engagement work we’ve been doing over this last year and a half. We’ve learned a lot from you guys and gals, and we’ve tried really hard to make sure everything you’ve asked for is included. And if we’ve missed something? Drop us a line on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page and let us know. We’ll make sure your requests are given proper consideration.

Where can I find out more?We’ll be running daily articles on the run up to release on warhammer-community.com. Every aspect of the new edition will be covered, from rules, to new miniatures and advancements in the setting.

I love it. I want it. When can I have it!Really soon. You’ll be playing the new Warhammer 40,000 this year.

We’ll let you know when we have more news on an exact release date. Stay posted.
For the latest news, follow us on the Warhammer 40,000 Facebook page, or subscribe to our newsletter.

What do I do now?Now’s the time to start getting your army ready.

With the addition of 3 ways to play, there are now more ways to build your collection than ever before. Open play frees you from all constraints, so now’s the time to just pick a model you’ve always wanted and paint it up. For you narrative players, why not start theming your collection around your favourite battle? Just like many of you, we want our armies to be fighting fit for matched play in the new edition. That’s why you’ll be able to read daily articles on the Warhammer Community site that will tell you all about the new rules, great units to include and tactics for every army.

*The edition’s not even out and you guys have an FAQ – how times have changed!

**A few of you might be wondering how the new edition of Warhammer 40,000 affects Forge World’s Horus Heresy rules and army lists. Well, for the moment, it won’t! You can carry on using the existing Warhammer 40,000 ruleset for your Horus Heresy games.

40k really got me into miniature wargaming, and lately I have been actively avoiding it in favor of AoS. I look forward to getting excited about playing 40k games again. Also as someone who has been with AoS since the beginning, I can freely admit its release wasn’t handled that well, and it looks like they learned their lesson for this one.

I’m gonna say I’m cautiously neutral ’cause optimistic would require too much caring which they punched out of me by now. Still, it sounds good and Shadowwar Armageddon (The most GW name ever TM) had a good idea by using one of their rulesets that actually worked.
Still and this is from the bottom of my heart, they can take the smug self-aware tone from that pdf and shove it there the sun doesn’t shine (read.. all of Britain? damn I didn’t think that through).
You gotta earn that sort of attitude. Corvus Belli can go out and tell me sure mate trust it’ll be great, all your armies will still be alright, everything will have a place in the game. If GW does the same my only answer is “How would you know? Who are these people who suddenly know how to write rules? Did you hire them? What was their prior work? It isn’t the same guys is it? Because even with some social media feedback I’m not sure I trust them to see that a queen is good in chess.”

All I want is a game where I can do an 1850 pt mission in 90 – 120 minutes instead of 3+ hours. As someone who gets MAYBE (usually less) one day a week to play, that’d be gnarly. No more templates, fewer universal rules, and data sheets with all the rules can probably help make that happen.

Really interested in how they update forgeworld. This could very well mean a lot of old models suddenly become both popular and impossible to find. Forgeworld has been on a pairing down of models and up to date rules for some time.

If you want a game you can finish in 90-120 minutes play AoS. I have traveled all over this country last year playing this game dropping literally tens of thousands of dollars in travel and fees in order to play the game. This is a complete and utter waste and money grab on the part of GW. There was nothing wrong with the game. Completely disappointed that my 1k worth of books supplements and codices are completely useless and will be worth exactly nothing here soon. IF this going the way of AoS there are TONS more special rules and it comes down to who brought the most models to the table. Very disappointing.

You honestly think there is nothing wrong with the game? I guess it is different strokes for different folks. I am very excited for some change. Things like invincible death-stars, 3 hour games that do not finish, incredibly complex army building that stumps even 20 veterans…those are things I am excited to see (hopefully change).

I understand your apprehension about change but I don’t think this is a money grab at all.

Books becoming invalid is a bummer though, every edition it is a kick in the nuts but as others have said, it happens in all games.

A new edition of a major game is always a risk for a company, so I’d hesitate to call it a cash grab. And 7th has a lot of problems. Most of the player base thinks so. I’d guess over 90%.

Nothing in a new edition will invalidate the fun you had playing 7th over the last year. You may even like the new version more. I never understand people getting upset when they don’t even know the changes yet. Yes, it will invalidate all your codexes, but that’s life as a gamer. It happens with every game. I’ve had a blast playing 7th, just like I did with 2nd, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy 8th as well. Any day when I can I move a bunch of cool toy figures around and rolls some dice while getting a few laughs in is a win in my book.

I’ve been through 5 editions of D&D and this will be my 3rd with 40k. I’ve gone through a couple editions of various other RPGs.

On the contrary. 7e is a hot mess, balance-wise. Unless 8e continues the trend, this edition will be remembered as 40k’s Urza’s block, the era of crazy combos, games that ended in a couple of turns, and army builds that won by preventing the opponent from participating at all.

All of your books being invalidated sucks.. but isn’t that better than waiting half a decade or more for a bottom of the barrel army to get ‘fixed’? If you have $1k in codices, then you probably have at least one trash tier army (Orks, pure Dark Eldar, Nids, with AM only slightly better off) that needs an update. I’d rather all my books gather dust on the shelf instead of waiting until 2030 for a new Nid book.

Yeah, good points. Losing your investment in books truly blows, I agree. But, it is inevitable and the only way to push forward with change. Plus side: GW said the core rules will be free, so huzzah for that!

You are only losing the rules in the books. The rest is still valid. The fluff is still good(even the fluff in old Warhammer books are of use as old world history). pictures of models, still good(and maybe showing classic models). Paint guides still good.

I just finished painting my dwarf blood bowl team, and I pulled out all of the old dwarf and empire books and did about five hours of research to find tidbits of fluff to make a story for my team.

I have to say, between this announcement, and how much fun the Games of Shadow War that I played this afternoon were, I have basically no desire to play actual 40K again until 8th drops. Taking a few months or however long to just play Shadow War and AoS, and then jumping back in with 8th, sounds really good right now.

I loved it. Been building up some serious excitement over the last few weeks for it, and it did not disappoint. Very fun, tons of possibilities. Kind of needs some House Rules for the Campaign system if you want the extra Factions to be able to really compete, but if you’re sticking with the basic three, it works fine right out of the box.

I’m currently trying to figure out if there’s a Faction that will do a good job of representing Captain America and the Howling Commandos. Just rewatched the Cap trilogy, and their bits in the first movie seemed like they’d be awesome for this.

I can barely contain my hype. I watched that video like 10 times. Power level compression and time shortening and codex cheapifying and silly rule elimination (templates and scatter), this is everything I ever wanted. The game needed a total rules toss. This is great.

Looking forward to a change. I’ve been completely avoiding the competitive scene, or any scene without safeties on, the last few months. Its just stupid and unfun. Ynarri finally pushed me over the edge of throwing my hands up. Power balance is way off in this game and it just kills the variety. I’m optimistic. I just hope it isn’t dumbed down or made too basic. I like tactical depth. I just don’t like the imbalance and lack of restraint that made its way into 7th

I don’t think the words free and rules have ever been said in the same sentence from GW. I’m really hoping they finally put some balance in the psychic phase, those 1850 summon 1000+ points with daemons was ridiculous and cringe to watch at times. Also hoping they are less vague on how some of the more debatable, confusing formation mechanics work. (Tau combined fire, etc)